The skill that took me a long time to learn is playing the violin. The violin is regarded as the smallest and highest-pitched instrument in the violin family. It’s also prominent in a wide variety of musical genres, in terms of classic music, folk music and so on. In some parts of the world the violin is also known as the fiddle. Since it’s a string musical instrument, people need to use the bow to produce the music.

I’ve learned how to play the violin since I was little. I still remember my mother bought me one when I was a primary student. I really liked this musical instrument and spent a lot of time with it.

Actually at very first I think it was just a simple toy that can produce beautiful sounds and I simply liked the idea of producing music with a toy. Gradually, I realized the learning process was extremely difficult and vapid. I had to practice at least 4 hours on a daily basis, and I needed to focus on intonation, dexterity, string crossings, and many other specific skills at the same time. Definitely the practice was tough and time-consuming to a 7-year-old girl. But the good news is that I’m skilled with this instrument now after many years practicing.

Although the skill, playing the violin, took me a long timeto learn, I still enjoyed the entire process a lot. I had a fascination about this device from my childhood and I liked the sound of this instrument. The music of the violin was very charming and soothing. It’s a nice way to wind down myself by rippling a lively rhythm on the violin.

重点词汇及表达：

①genre：名词；类型，流派

Eg:A genre is a particular type of literature, painting, music, film, or other art form which people consider as a class because it has special characteristics.

②prominent: 形容词；突出的

Eg: Here the window plays a prominent part in the design.

③vapid: 形容词；无趣的

Eg: She made a vapid comment about the weather.

④rhythm: 名词；韵律，节奏

Eg: His music of that period fused the rhythms of Jazz with classical forms.

Part 3题目

1. What skills may take a long time to learn?

参考答案：

I think the skills that require higher concentration may take a long time to learn, such as practicing a musical instrument, learning a new language, and so on. For example, a violin learner need to focus on intonation, dexterity, string crossings, and maintaining a single contact point. It requires higher concentration and takes a long time to practice.

重点词汇及表达：

①intonation：名词；声调，音调

Eg: Their speech has a percussive rhythm, the intonation of the words creates a melody.

②dexterity: 名词；敏捷

Eg: Dexterity is skill in using your hands, or sometimes your mind.

2. Why would people spend a lot of time learning a skill?

参考答案：

It varies from person to person. Personally, I tend to spend a lot of time to learn one thing only because I’m interested in it. Although these skills may take me a long time to learn, I can still enjoy the entire process a lot.

重点词汇及表达：

①tend to：词组；倾向于

Eg：We all tend to like those similar to us.

②entire：形容词；全部的

Eg：She has alienated her entire family.

3. Why are some people unwilling to learn new skills?

参考答案：

I think it’s quite personal. To be specific, I think some people may have a tendency to stay in their comfortable zones, since learning something new means to jump out of the areas that they are familiar with.

重点词汇及表达：

①to be specific：词组；具体来说

Eg：To be specific, they undertook the work of arranging water, electricity and gas inside a building after it was finished.

②tendency: 名词；趋势

Eg：He is spoiled, arrogant and has a tendency toward snobbery.

4. Do you think it takes a long time to learn a new language?

参考答案：

Yes, of course. Language learners may have difficulty in learning the grammar as it can be quite different from their mother tongue. Besides, they have to get used to the way of pronunciation, and take a long time to remember a large number of vocabulary. Of course it takes a long time to improve the language proficiency gradually.

重点词汇及表达：

①have difficulty in：词组；在某方面有问题

Eg：The patient was perceived to have difficulty in standing and walking.

②proficiency: 名词；精通

Eg：Evidence of basic proficiency in English is part of the admissions requirement.

本次口语解析由以下沪江留学老师产出

黄函老师

沪江网校首席雅思口语名师；英国谢菲尔德大学毕业；英文专业8级；5年以上英文教学经验。

王君楠老师

沪江网校留学院全职雅思老师，格拉斯哥大学硕士，TESOL专业（Teaching English to the Speakers of Other Languages）, 主攻雅思托福等留学考试。曾参与雅思八分必胜课程，关于雅思你必须知道的那些事，托福100等课程制作。